I've been thinking a lot lately about hypothetically how best to introduce my new nephew to videogames once he gets old enough. I have a DS Lite with Namco Museum so I'd consider that phase 0. I'm currently gathering up some DS games for my New 3DS XL which might be the best way to follow up the DS Lite. (initially I thought of placing a DSi or 2DS somewhere between the two but this is more economical)

PSP is definitely not even close to a beginner console when you consider the alternatives. Switch Lite with Pokemon should probably be done as early as he is able to comfortably read. I'd even consider introducing it as a way to help the child learn to read, but I also wouldn't want him to miss out on the story early on. Probably a good way to divide games is by how much reading they require. Pac-Man requires none. 16-bit Sonic requires none. (hint hint) Pokemon and Zelda require a substantial bit. Potentially this fragments you and the child across many different system libraries to comb them for non-reading games before having to repeat the entire process for reading games. But all things considered it's surprising how much the DS Lite -> 3DS idea is able to cover a lot of ground. With the 3DS you have some low reading games and can slowly drop more reading games as time goes on. There is one game, Captain Toad, for the Switch that seems to require no reading and no talent for playing videogames. (there's not even any platforming) So that's a very viable first game. On the Switch you even have access to Sonic Origins and Mario Kart as well, which the parents can join in on. So the 3DS is starting to look a bit more advanced by comparison. (not to mention the 3D slider which is not good for the eyes, and I'd rather wish the system didn't have it. Parental controls?)

One issue I'm grappling with is how to best introduce Mega Man X. Granted the games are difficult and a child might not figure out how to wall jump. All I know is Switch Lite is probably a lousy way since the games are start button intensive and the system has an ass start button. PSP-3k has the best start button in history but the screen has heavy interlacing on sprite-based games. Overall the PSP does seem like the single best way though and you'd have X1-6 in the process. But another option is the 3DS. It only has X1-3 though and the eshop shuts down in under three months, so I have to decide now whether to go that route, but even if I do it means I'd need an eshop card and it means I can no longer factory reset my 3DS before gifting it. (I was wondering whether to do the reset even though it would dissolve all the games I've downloaded to it. They're mostly trash though so it doesn't matter.)